Electric switch



July 5,1927. 1,634,408

H. A. DOUGLAS ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Sept. 3. 1925 #Kif @025m Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES HARRY A. DOUGLAS, OF BRONSON, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application led September 3, 1925. Serial No. 54,279.

My invention relates to electric switches and is of particular service in connection with those electric switches that are employed upon automobiles for the regulation of their ignition and lighting circuits, though the invention is not to be restricted to any particular use to which it may be Jut.

'l A switch to which my invention is applicable is disclosed in my United States Patent 1,516,765, dated November 25, 1924. In

the structure disclosed in said patent, there is .a casing for holding the operating switch parts, this lcasing having a contact carrying wall at one end and' a switch actuating handle having parts passing through the casing wall at the other end into actuating relation with a contact actuator, and a lock carried by the handle and also having a portion extending into the casing and there having operative connectionl with another contact actuator. In the device of said patent the contact actuators are in the form of thick rings of insulation that are provided with deep recesses for receiving springpressed plungers that project from spring barrels whose base ends are connected with metallic plates and which base ends constitute contacts that are 'engageable with terinal contacts carried by an insulating disc that constitutes the bottom closure for the casing.

My invention has for its object to lighten the structure of the contact actuators without impairing the strength thereof while retaining the desired assembly .therewith of the spring barrels of the contacts and the spring-pressed plungers projecting from these barrels. vIn carrying outthis object of my invention I' form the contact actuator of thin sheet metal such as sheet steel and preferably form cup-shaped recesses therein which receive cups of insulation. The sides of the cups of insulation are engaged by the spring barrels and the end walls of these cups of insulation are -enga ed by the spring-pressed plungers where y the contact members that include the spring barrels and the plungers in their construction are insulated from the metallic contact carrier while being mechanically coupled therewith.

The invention will be more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a rear sectional elevation taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 Iof Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4.-4 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 oi Fig. 3.

The casing has an end wall 1 and a side wall 2, the wall 1 being essentially flat and the wall 2 being preferably cylindrical. A mounting plate 3 is disposed over the end wall and upon the exterior of the casingA beyond which the mounting plate laterally projects. The mounting plate is desirably circular and co-axial with the casing and through which a large circular opening 7 is formed, this opening being likewise coaxial with the casing and plate.v One or more arcuate slots 8, also concentric with the casing, are formed through the end Wall thereof andare aligned with the opening 7 these slots being formed in depressedpportions 9. The end wall of the casing and the mounting plate are spaced apart to receive arcuate flanges 10 formed upon one end of the handle 11, the flanges, the end wall of the casing, and the casing mounting plate co-operating to define a plane of rotation or oscillation for the handle. The

,switching mechanism includes an actuating member 12 here shown as being in the forni of a ring, formed o f sheet metal. n This ring isl Jformed with wide notches 13 upon its inner circular face. These notches receive the handle portions 14 which project into the interior of the casing through the arcuate slots 8. Said notches or openings are of such shape as to` prevent material relative turning movement between the handle and actuating member while desirably permitting sliding movement of the actuating member upon the handle.

f A contact carrier 15 carries bayonet pins 16 that are receivable in bayonet slots 17 formed in the cylindrical wall of the casing. This contact carrier carries contacts 18, 19, 20, etc., which pertain to the different circuits, the circuit relation thereof being iinmaterial so far as my invention is concerned. These contacts are shown in the form of rods which are held in holes that are formed through the contact carrier and are provided" with suitable binding screws upon the outer ends as indicated at 21. The

inner ends of the rods 18, etc., are slightly dished so as to receive contacts that are provided upon one or morel Contact carriers that are supplied in addition to the Contact carrier 15. Another contact carrier 22 is interposed between the contact carrier 15 and the contact actuator 12, the contact carrier 22 being desirably in the form of a metallic ring which is co-axial with the actuating member 12 and the switch casing. The ring 22 carries a series of metallic contacts 23 which are formed with spring barrels 24 that have clinching formations 25 upon one side of the ring to hold this ring in rm assembly with the contacts 23 upon the other side of this ring.

The metallic spring barrels'24 are received within the cups 12', formed of insulation, and have sliding engagement with the side Walls of these cups. The Contact actuator l2 is preferably of sheet steel and has cup formations 122 that receive the cups 12 of insulation, the bottoms of the cups 12 resting against the bottoms of the cups 122. Further to dene the position of the cups 12 in the cu s 122, form the cups 12 with the rims or anges that bear upon the body of the contact actuator 12. The contacts 23 are pressed toward thecarrier 15 and the contact actuating ring 12 is pressed against the depressed portion 9 of the end wall 1 ot the casing by means of coiled springs 25 that are located within the spring barrels 24, these coiled springs pressing each at one end upon the contacts 23 and each at its other end against the metallic plungers 26 that are pressed against the bottoms of the cups 12.

There is a central sleeve 2T that is coaxial with the handle and with the casing and other rotating parts of the switch. This sleeve houses the barrel 29 of any suitable lock which is accessible from the iront ot' the handle. The sleeve is shown with slots 30 into which the tuinblers 31 of the lock may be projected when operated by a key in order to lock the inner contact carrier 32 and -from which the tumblers mayY be withdrawn when the contact carrier 32 is to be unlocked and readjusted, the handle controlled switch being preferably always adjustable.

The rotating part of the lock carries a projection 33 which extends into the switch casing through a central opening in the end Wall of the casing. A contact actuator 34 is formed with an opening that receives the projection 33, this opening being of such shape as to prevent material relative turning movement between the actuator 34 and the projection 33 but permitting sliding movement of this actuator 34 upon the lock projection 33. The contact carrier 32 is interposed between the contact carrier 15 and the contact actuator 34, formed of. sheet metal. This contact carrier 32 is shown as being in the form of a triangular plate. It

has a central depression 35 which is received upon the inner end of the central contact 19 in the contact carrier 15, these portions 35 and 19 constituting complemental contacts as the switch is illustrated. The contact carrying plate 32 is thus obviously mounted to be turned to the extent definedby the turning movement of the lock projection 33 through the intermediation of parts now to be described.

The contact plate 32 carries` spring barrels 36 and springs 37 within the spring barrels, these springs projecting the plungers 38 through the front ends of these spring barrels. The contact actuator 34, being desirably of sheet steel, is formed with cups 39 which receive the cups 40, of insulation, in al manner similar to the reception of th e cups 12 in the cups 122 of the contact actuator' 12. The spring barrels 36 have sliding engagement with the side walls of the cups 40, and the spring-pressed plungers 38 have engagement with the end walls ot' these cups. In this way the contact carrier 32 is coupled with the contact actuator 34. The springs in the various spring barrels permit the contact carriers to reciprocate as the contacts on these carriers ride .into and out of engagement with the contacts upon the contact carrier 15.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An electric switch including two contact carriers carrying complemental contacts; a contact actuator of sheet metal for moving one of said contact carriers, said contact actuator having a cup formation; a cup of insulating material received in said cup formation: a spring barrel upon the last mentioned contact'carrier and in engagement with and within said cup of insulation; a plunger projecting from said spring barrel and engageable with the bottom or end wall of the cup of insulation; and a spring in the spring barrel pressing said plunger against said cup end wall.

2. An electric switch including two contact carriers carrying complemental contacts; a contact actuator of sheet metal for moving one of said contact carriers; a cup of insulating material carried by said contact actuator; a spring barrel upon the last mentioned contact carrier and in en agement with and within said cup of insu ation; a plunger projecting from said spring barrel and engageable with the bottom or end wall of the cup of insulation; and a spring in the spring barrel pressing said plunger against said cup end wall.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

-HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

